Mail-bag catching and delivering device.



'No. 624,973. Patented may 2a, 190|.

c. w. Munnocx.

MAIL BAG CATCHING A'ND DELIVERING DEVICE.

(Application filed Sept. 22, 1900.) No Model.) 3 Sh'eetsf-Sheet l.

rm; Noam: versus co., Puoamyna. wAsHmcTon, u` c.

No. 674,978. Patenfd May 2a, Ism. c. w. munuocx. MAIL BAG-CATCHING AND'DELIVERING DEVICE.

(Application led Sept. 22, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

YN: mams PETERS cu. Nn-rauwe., wAsmNuron, n. c.

No. 674,973. Patnted may 28, |901.

c. w. M-unnocx. MAIL BAG CATCHING AND` DELIVERING DEVICE.

(Application led Sept. 22, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

f EW/677207' Nrrnn Stains Arnnrr OFFICE.

CHARLES WV. MURDOOK, OF OMAHA, NEBRASKA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 674,978, dated May 28,1901. Application filed September 22, 1900. Serial No. 30,845. (Nomodel.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. MURDooK, a citizen of the United States,residing at Omaha, in the county of Douglas and State of Nebraska, haveinvented certain new and-uset'ul Improvements in Mail-Bag Catching andDelivering Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full,clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and to theiigures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to improvements in mail-bag catching anddelivering devices, the object of the invention being to provide adevice for this purpose which will catch and retain both the outgoingand incoming pouches and Without causing undue Wear and tear on thepouches themselves, thereby obviating the necessity for frequent andexpensive repairs and, furthermore, insuring a safe delivery of thepouches at the point intended.

The invention consists in certain novel details of construction andcombinations and arrangements of parts, all as Will now be described,and pointed out particularly in the appended claims.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a general elevationof the catching and delivering devices on both the car and cranearrangedin proximity to the track. Fig. 2 is a front and Fig. 3 a sideelevation of the apparatus which is mounted on the car or movingstructure, mail-pouches being shown in position to be delivered and inthe position they occupy When tirst caught from the crane or structurealongside the track. Fig. 4 is a top'plan view ofthe catcherarm With thesupporting-frame and side of the car in section. Fig. 5 isa similarViewr of the chute for directing the pouches into the car. Fig. 6 is afront elevation of the catching-arm with its supporting-frame and chutefolded into the position they occupy when not in use. Fig. 7 is an endelevation of the parts in the position illustrated in Fig. (i. Fig. 8 isa top plan view of the receiving arm and basket on the fixed crane, withparts in section. Figs. 9, l0, ll, and 12 are details of parts of thecrane from Which the catcher takes the pouch.

Like letters and figures of reference in the several drawingsindicatethe same parts.

As in other apparatus of this character heretofore suggested and used,my present invention contemplates the employment of what may be termed afixed and a moving part, the fixed part being that portion of theapparatus adapted to be located beside the track, and while its membersare independently movable as a Whole it occupies a fixed position,andthe moving portion is that part of the apparatus adapted to be locatedon the carer vehicle and to take and deliver mail from and to the fixedpart.

In designing the practical embodiment of my present invention it hasbeen one of the objects to provide a mechanism which might be readilyattached to and removed from a car-body and when in position might besuccessfully operated While the car Was kept closed or practicallyclosed, so as to protect the operator or mail -clerk from the Weather orfrom danger of injury by the pouches as they are caught and delivered.With this object in view I mount the movable portion of the mechanism onand partially in a frame or casing a., which frame or casing @may Wellconstitute a door in the side of the car-body. For this purpose it maybe conveniently mounted on tracks or Ways x at top and bottom of thedoor-opening and be adapted to be moved longitudinally on said tracks orWays, so as to open or close the door-opening. Obviously this frame orcasing ct may be hinged or otherwise applied as an independentattachment to any car having a side door-opening, and at the same timethe ordinary door, if located on the inner side of the car, may remainin place. This frame or casing a, is provided near the top with Windowor glass panels t, through which the clerk may observe the track andapparatus on the outer side of the casing, and at the bottom it isprovided with an inwardlyswinging panel or door'v, through whichtheincomingpouchisdeliveredintothecar. Immediately below the Windows tthere is provided a horizontal shaft h, journaled in bearings atopposite sides of the Yframe (t and held against longitudinal movementby relatively stiff springs u. On the inner side the shaft is providedwith a controlling-handle e and on the IOO ` outer side with acatcher-arm b', preferably having slots on opposite sides for catching apouch when the car is moving in either direction, and thereby obviatingthe necessity of reversing the apparatus. At the bottom the frame orcasing d is provided with an'outwardly-swingiug chute t', and betweenthe upper end of this chute and the wall of the casing there isinterposed a link brace composed of links k, pivotally connectedtogether by a pin-and-slot connection k', and this link brace isconnected with the catcher-arm by means of a netting c, which when thecatcherarm is turned up into horizontal position, as illustrated in Fig.3, will be distended by the pouch and hold the link connection, therebymaintaining the chute in its proper position for catching the pouch whendropped from the catcher-arm after having had its motion arrested bycontact with the netting, as will hereinafter' more fully appear. In thepreferred, construction the cords of the net which are attached to k andthe diagonal tension-cord d will be made shorter than the others, whichwill bring the strain on them before the others are called on for work.Those attached to k will tend to pull it into a straight line, and indoing so they will force it to act as a brace between the wall of thecase and the chute, and the cord d will bring the pull on thecatcher-arm close in to the pivotal point or shaft l?, reducing theshock on the hand of the operator to the minimum. For convenience infolding the chute and catcher-arm a weight or weights n are provided inthe casing, and a iiexible connection or connections Z, passing overpulleys m, connect said weight or weights with the chute and tend todraw the same up into its folded position, as illustrated in Fig. 7. Forraising the weights when itis desired to turn the chute out into itsoperative position flexible connections g are provided, which afterextending over pulleys h are connected with the inner end of thecontrolling-handle e at the pointf. Thus when said handle is turned downand the catcher-arm thrown outwardly the weights will be elevated andthe chute allowed to swing out into operative position, where it will beheld by the tension of the netting connecting the brace and catcher-arm.

For delivering the outgoing pouch a hook p is secured to the ou terendof the chute, with which a striking-bar 2, from which the pouch issuspended, may be engaged, and for holding said striking-bar againstswinging a horizontal brace r is provided, extending outwardly from anintermediate point ou the chute and having a hook at the outer endadapted to engage the lower end of the striking-bar. The brace r may beheld down in its folded position bya spring-clip s when not iny use.

The fixed portion of the apparatus embodies a crane or post D, carryingat the upper end an arm E, provided with the weight K and a flexibleconnection J for throwing it into upright position when notin use,andhaving at the outerend a reversible hook S, upon which the pouch ishung, and abraee-arm I-I, with a swinging end I, for holding thestriker` bar 2 in place. The hook F is preferably provided with anelongated head F', Figs. 9, 10, and ll, adapted to be seated betweenguides G, whereby said hook may be held to point in either direction,and is readily reversible by simply elevating the hook and reversing theposition of the head between the guides. The crane-arm E is forsupporting the pouch to be delivered to the car,.and immediately beneathit is an arrangement which corresponds, essentially, to the apparatus onthe car for receiving the pouch delivered from the car. Thisapparatusconsists of a catcher-arm M, journaled on a collar L, carriedby the post D, and having oppositely-arranged slots for catching a pouchin either direction. AImmediately beneath the catcher M is abasket R,also mounted on the post D and held by a collar s, wherebyit may swingaround the post in unison with the catcher-arm M, the two parts beingunited by a bracingN and a nettingO for arresting the momentum of thepouch and causing the same to drop into the basket. Transverse braces Pmay be employed to secure rigidity, and in order to arrest the swingingmovement of the catcher-arm M and basket R these parts are preferablysupported upon a track V, inclined upwardly in each direction from acentral point and upon whicha roller W, mounted in a bracket X on thebasket, travels.

In apparatus of this character it is highly desirable to protect thepouches against wear and tear as far as possible, practice havingdemonstrated that the usual catchers and method of delivering suchpouches are extremely injurious, and with a View to overcoming thisdifficulty I have designed the present apparatus for use in connectionwith what I have termed the striker or striking bar, which striking-baris usually a link having eyes at opposite ends and is adapted to beattached to the pouch centrally by a cord, strap,.chain, or otherdevice, and by means of which the pouch may be suspended from either thecrane or the ,delivering-arm.

The striking-bar is adapted to contact with those portions of theapparatus which ordinarily engage the pouch and occasion the wear andtear, as aforesaid. The strikingbar may be made of metal or materialcalculated to resist the action of the contacting parts, and with thearrangement of mechanism described and illustrated a safe delivery ofthe pouch is insured under all circumstances.

In operation the outgoing pouch is suspended from a hook p, and thebrace r is swung up into position to engage the lower end of thestriking-bar, so as to hold the pouch against swinging movement. Theincoming pouch is placed in position on the crane-arm E, and theswinging end I of the IOO IIO

`momentum of the car thereto.

brace-arm I-I is brought into position to engage the lowerend of thestriking-bar on that pouch. As the mail-car approaches the stationaryportion of the apparatus the arm e is grasped by the clerk and thecatcher-arm turned upinto its operative position, thereby swinging theoutgoing pouch out into position for delivery. The movement of the earcauses the striking-bar 2 of the incoming pouch to enter the forwardslot in the catcher'- arm, and the downwardly-turned end f2 of saidcatcherarm simultaneously contacts with the swinging end I of the braceH, causing the same to release the striking-bar, which is then caught inthe slot and momentarily suspended, the pouch meanwhile engaging thenetting, thereby preventing any rotary movement of the pouch andimparting the This pouch having been thus caught from the fixed cranewill almost immediately disengage itself from the catcher-arm and dropdown upon the chute 1l, being conducted by the chute through the door i:and into the car. For the purpose ot' preventing undue shock the casinga may be held against longitudinal movement by springs, which areextended between the inner side of said casing and the edges ofthedoor-opening, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. Thus the incomingpouch is caught and dropped into the car without exposing the clerkeither to the weather or to danger from broken or flying parts shouldanything prevent a perfect operation of the devices.

The operation of the catching portion of the fixed part of the device issubstantially similar to that of the moving portion-that is to say, theoutgoing pouch is carried by the car until the stri king-bar 2 entersthe slot in the arm M and the movement of the pouch is arrested by thenetting O. The strikingbar rides out of the hooks p and r, leaving thepouch in the stationary catcher-arm, from which, as soon as its momentumis arrested, it drops into the basket R, from which it may be removed bythe carrier. The moment-um of the pouch is gradually arrested by theyielding of the catcher-arm M and basket, which swings around on thetra'ck V and is gradually brought to rest by riding up the inclinedportion of the track.

When the clerk has caught the pouch on the crane and the outgoing pouchhas been delivered, he releases the lever e, allowing the weights tofall and pull the chute back into position in the case and thecatcher-arm to fold down over it, the parts assuming the position theyoccupyin Figs. and 7, being entirely within the side walls of the casingd. Said casing then may be moved back away from the door-opening, if sodesired, or may be utilized as a door to close said opening.

When desired, the slots which take the striking-bars, from which thepouches are suspended, may be made with an enlargement attheirinnerends, as illustrated in Figs. 4 and 8,

which enlargement is of sufficient diameter to permit the striking-barsto escape when moved vertically, and thus in the ordinary operation ofthe apparatus the striking-bars will be caught and held only until theytravel around to the back of said slots, for as soon as they reach theenlargement they will drop, and the pouch held thereby will be allowedto pass down the chute into the ear, on the one hand, or down into thebasket, on the other hand, without liability of catching and hanging inthe arms themselves.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. In a mailbag-catching device the combination with a car having adoor-opening therein, of a closure for said opening movable transverselyof the opening and a catcher'arm mounted in said closure; substantiallyas described.

2. In a mail-bag-catching device the combination with a car having aside door-opening therein, of a closure for said opening mounted ontracks to'slide transversely of the opening and a catching-arm pivotallymounted in said closure to swing outwardly and a controlling-arm adaptedto project into the door-opening when said catcher-arm is swungoutwardly; substantially as described.

3. In a mailbag-catching device the combination with a car-body having aside dooropening and a casing mounted on tracks at top and bottom ofsaid opening and adapted to form a closure therefor, said casing havinga receiving-opening near the bottom thereof, of a catcher-arm pivotallymounted in said casing so as to swing outwardly and a controlling-armfor said catcher-arm adapted to project on the inner side of the casing;substantially as described.

4. In a mail-bag-catching device the combination with a projectingcatcher-arm having a receiving-slot, of a flexible fabric eX- tendingdownwardly in rear of said slot for arresting the momentum ofthemailbag; substantially as described.

5. In a catching device such as described, the combination with theprojecting catcherarm having the receiving-slot, of a frame below saidcatcher-arm and a netting extending between said arm and frame andagainst which the mail-bag is received; substantially as described.

6. In a catching device such as described, the combination with thevertically-swinging catcher-arm, of an outwardly-swinging chutecontrolled by said catcher-arm whereby when the catcher-arm is thrown upinto operative position the chute will be moved out into operativeposition; substantially as described.

7. In a catching device such as described, the combination with anoutwardly-swinging catcher-arm and an outwardly-swinging chute arrangedbelow said catcher-arm, of a netting above said chute and beneath theIOO IIO

. caused to move out into operative position si- 1n ultaneously;substantially as described.

S. In a catching device such as described, the combination with theoutwardly-swinging catcher arm and the outwardly swinging chute belowsaid arm, of a jointed brace at the upper end of said chute and anetting connecting said brace and catcher-arm; substantially asdescribed.

9. In a catching device such as described the combination with theoutwardly-swinging .catcher arm and the outwardly swinging chute belowsaid catcher-arm, of the brace between the upper end of said chute andits support, the netting connecting said brace and catcher-arm and theweights for drawing said chute into its folded position when released bythe downward movement of the catcherarm; substantially as described.

10. In a catching device such as described, the combination with theoutwardlyswinging catcher-arm, the pivoted chute below said catcher-armand a netting interposed between the chute and catcher-arm, of a casingon which said catcher-arm and chute are mounted, a hinged panel in saidcasing and a controlling-handle for said catcher-arm and chuteprojecting on the inner side of said casing; substantially asAdescribed.

ll. In a catching and delivering device such as described, thecombination with the fi-Xed catcher-arm, of a catcher-arm mounted on theear, an outwardly-swinging chute arranged below said catcher-arm, a hookand brace su pported by said chute for carrying the outgoing pouch andmeans for delivering the incoming pouch to the catcher-arm on the car;substantially as described.

l2. In a mail-bag catching and delivering apparatus the combination withthe fixed mechanism consisting of the supportingframe, the swingingcatcher-arm; the basket below said catcher-arm, the .netting betweensaid catcher-arm and basket with means for gradually arresting themovement of said swinging catcher-arm, of the movable mech auismconsisting of the outwardly-swinging catcher-arm mounted on thecar-body, the inclined chute below said catcher-arm, the netting betweensaid chute and catcher-arm and the supporting devices on said chute forthe outgoing pouch; substantially as described.

, CHARLES W. MURDOCK.

Witnesses:

E. O. HALsTEAD, R. C. HoYT.

